Olympic ski cross medalist Audun Groenvold has died after being struck by lightning, the Norwegian ski federation announced Wednesday. He was 49. Groenvold won bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
“It is with great sadness that we have received the news of Audun Groenvold’s untimely passing,” the federation said. “The former national Alpine skier and ski cross athlete was recently struck by lightning during a cabin trip.”
The federation said Groenvold was “quickly taken to hospital and received treatment for the injuries he sustained in the lightning strike” and then died Tuesday night.
Groenvold was a member of Norway’s Alpine skiing team before he moved into freestyle and ski cross. He had one podium finish as a World Cup Alpine skier, finishing third in a downhill in Sierra Nevada, Spain, in 1999.
He also won a bronze medal in ski cross at the 2005 world championships, and the overall ski cross cup in 2007.
After his career ended, he became a national team coach and a TV commentator.
“Norwegian skiing has lost a prominent figure, who has meant so much to both the Alpine and freestyle communities,” federation president Tove Moe Dyrhaug said, adding that his passing creates “a huge void.”
Moe Dyrhaug continued: “Audun had a great career in both alpine skiing and ski cross, before becoming the national ski cross coach.
“The Norwegian Ski Association also remembers his efforts on the ski board. There will be a big void after Audun.”
Marius Arnesen, who coached Groenvold in the early 2000s, told local newspaper Verdens Gang: “It’s just terribly sad and tragic. [He was] a thoughtful and wonderful boy who, when it comes to skiing, had a fantastic feeling for the surface in the snow.”
He is survived by his wife, Kristin Tandberg Haugsja, and three children.